Only one fork
Fixing one event that splits the worlds keeps the story sharp. A moment you can date is best: the college choice at nineteen, the confession that night, the city you never left. Show the later differences as ripples from that single fork.
Two-character sheet
| Item | Me here | Me there |
|---|---|---|
| What I chose at the fork | ||
| Work now | ||
| Where I live | ||
| Who is beside me | ||
| Habits both still have | same | same |
| What each envies in the other |
The "habits both still have" row is the key. Small shared details like the morning coffee, a turn of phrase or staring out the window at night make readers feel the two are one person.
Writing prompts
- A letter from the other you, opening with "You crossed my mind today"
- Both of you hear the same song on the same day
- What the other you failed at, you succeeded at
- Ten years on, both reach the same conclusion
- The night of the fork, told in two versions
- Someone who exists only in the other life brushes past you here
- Live one day here with the other you’s job
- Neither knows which of them is happier
- The dream the other you gave up returns here under another name
- A reply to the you in the loneliest universe
- Two descriptions of the same photograph
- End on "We are in different places, but we’re the same person"
Pulling material from the app
A letter from that universe
Open a universe card in Parallel Lives and tap Open the letter to read a short letter from the you in that universe. Borrow its first or last line as your opening sentence and the blank page gets easier.
The sample name in the screenshots is a placeholder; you can enter any name or nickname.
Enter your characters
The name field takes any name or nickname. Enter a character’s name and in-story birthday to get six jobs, places and companions for them, handy ideas for filling the blanks on your sheet.
FAQ
Can I use the app’s sentences in my work as is?
Use them as a starting point for ideas and put your own rewritten sentences in the finished piece.
Can there be more than one fork?
In a novel, yes, but short stories and essays read more clearly with one fixed fork.
Parallel Lives: The Other You
No sign-up, fully offline. A free Android app made for fun and reflection.